


The Summons

by roguewrld



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alzheimer's Disease, Former Director Carter, Fury's real name is Marcus, Gen, Phil Coulson & Nick Fury Friendship, Post-Avengers, The Directors make the hard choices, pre-IM3, pre-catws
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 18:09:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3259382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roguewrld/pseuds/roguewrld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Battle for New York, Fury is summoned to DC by former SHIELD Director Carter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Summons

**Author's Note:**

> As far as I know, this contains no spoilers for Agent Carter, just my wild speculation about what Peggy Carter's career would look like. 
> 
> On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. On Christmas Day, his own people killed Romanian dictator Ceausescu. The Soviet Union limped on another two year but everyone knew it was over. 
> 
> We know Peggy retired some time in 1989 because that is when Piece arranged to have Daniel Whitehall released from the Rat Cellar. I've cut that close but I think the timeline for this is canon compliant.

Nick Fury was a pragmatic man, who put his job first and didn’t have any regrets. Of course, Nick Fury wasn’t real. He and Phil had pulled the name out of an old comic book when Marcus Johnson had made Level 10 and officially ceased to exist. 

Marcus could count on one hand the people who remembered the real him. Most days, former Director Carter couldn’t remember anything else. 

She was dressed and sitting in her armchair reading when he got to her suite, a good sign. “You called, ma’am?”

She folded her newspaper and when he got a good look at her face he knew he was in trouble. “I did. Last week I turned on the TV to find New York under attack. None of my spies were answering their phone, so I had to resort to watching CNN. I was very angry to see a man dressed as Captain America, Marcus. Until he took off his cowl and Steve Rogers’ face was underneath it. Now I’m furious.” 

The newspaper had of photo of the exact moment the Director was talking about on the front cover, under the headline: “Captain America Returns.” Other newspapers had made Camelot references. Marcus felt his back stiffen, like it always had when she’d called him onto the carpet. “I offered to bring him here, ma’am, but he doesn't want to bother you. I’m not sure I have the manpower to make Steve Rogers do something he doesn't want to do.” 

The look she gave him was withering. She was a tough lady. Rogers was lucky they hadn't found him ten years ago, when she could still travel. “You’ll transfer him, then, to the Triskelion. That will put him within my grasp. The children can fetch him, if he’s so reluctant.” 

Her grandchildren were both SHIELD agents and Rogers outranked both of them but Marcus didn’t think that would stop the Director so he didn’t mention it. “Yes, ma’am.” He would get Phil… No. He couldn’t ask Phil to do anything anymore. 

“Your shadow is missing. Where’s Phil?” Marcus didn’t answer and she patted the chair beside her own. He sat down and she took his hand. “That was I was afraid of, when he wasn’t in New York. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“He pulled a stupid stunt.” He had lost friends before, even sat in a pool of their blood and watched them die before. This was worse. 

"I'm so sorry. Do you want my help reviewing the Level Sevens for promotion? Sharon can carry-"

"No." Marcus wasn't going to be able to replace Phil. It felt wrong to even try. 

The Director traced the fingers of her free hand over the picture of Steve's face. "Did you know, I thought I found him once? I had the rescue mission all planned."

"No." Marcus had never heard about an op like that. If there had been a failed attempt to rescue Captain America Phil would have talked about it until Marcus threatened to send him to Alaska.

"I heard a rumor about a Russian operative they called 'The American'. Supposedly, they had pulled him from the ice. He was strong, fast, and the defector claimed he'd been in service for decades." Her eyes looked far away and her grip on him had tightened. "I had to know."

"What happened?"

The Director looked startled, like she'd forgotten he was there. "Glasnost. When the wall came down in '89, I couldn't justify the costs. The war was over, I resigned."

"It wasn't him. Now you know."

"That doesn't make thirty years of agonizing over my decision go away. It doesn't change the fact that Howard spent the last two years of his life not speaking to me." There was so much regret in her voice. "I was as certain as I could be that it wasn't Steve but whoever that man was, we left him behind. Life is hard enough, without that kind of regret."

His phone chirped. Marcus didn't even want to look at it, but there was too much going on to ignore it. "I have to go. There's dead aliens all over New York and two live ones in Stark's basement."

"People forget the person in the big chair is human. Sometimes you can forget too and that's the real danger." She let go of him with one last squeeze. "I need you to stay human and not turn into this Nick Fury character you cooked up one night when you'd had too much tequila."

It hadn't been tequila, it had been whiskey. Phil had been the one drinking tequila. "Yes, ma'am. I'll get Rogers here as soon as I can." 

Marcus was not the kind of man who could live with thirty years of introspection. He slid his phone out and texted Maria. 'Contact the Guest House. I'm calling in a favor.' Marcus' war was just beginning and he needed all the help he could get.

At the door he paused, something she said still bothering him. "You said you were as sure as you could be. How?"

"Hmm?" The Director had already gone back to her newspaper. "Oh, I sent Pierce. He was very impressed but the man was two inches too short to be Steve."

**Author's Note:**

> ETA: The Guest House is the facility where Phil is reanimated. It also why your AOS-watching friends flinch when someone mentions TAHITI.


End file.
